Two links to Marco Arment within a few days? Well, if you make good points: "Many Windows developers were upset that iOS development had to be done on a Mac, but it didn't hurt Apple: the most important developers for iOS apps were already using Macs. But the success of Windows 8 and Windows Phone in the consumer space requires many of those consumer-product developers, now entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, to care so much about Windows development that they want to use Windows to develop for it. How likely is that?" As usual a bit too Apple-centric (he implies - as explicit as possible while still being implicit - that only iOS developers can create great applications), but his point still stands. Judging by the abysmal quality of Microsoft's own Metro applications (Mail, Video, Music, People, IE10, etc.), even Microsoft doesn't know how to create great Metro applications.

From the article :"Instead, Ahrens would like to see Microsoft focus on the Windows 8 user experience and leave the hardware creation to its hardware partners."

The Windows OEMs create crappy hardware experiences, including Acer. Ahrens is just mad that MS is now producing a reference model that people will judge their hardware against. Their cheap, cut all corners hardware and stuffed to the gills with crapware software load is going to look pretty bad against the cherry picked stuff from MS.

As I mentioned, there has to be the "in your face" disruptive feature. I yet to see it in Windows8, or in Surface.

You're thinking consumer, and that's not who is going to buy this initially.

The disruptive feature is a full fledged Windows OS with printing, Active Directory integration, and Windows apps. This is answering the need of businesses that need a tablet that is more PC then phone.

Unity is peanuts in the gaming world. Sure, it's big on mobile because iOS doesn't have DirectX and they _need_ something there.

On Windows, there is Unreal, Havok, Source, CryEngine, etc. All of those toolchains use DirectX.

There is tons of developer knowledge on DirectX. It heavily outweighs OpenGL.

OpenGL lost this war about half of a decade ago. It recently found success on mobile because Microsoft floundered.

For tablets, they might just drop it. Surface is no less sour than Google's Motorola acquisition.

What are they going to do? Go to Android who hasn't performed well and is made by Google? (Who also has Motorola) Roll their own? No, and no.

Tablet OEMs are going to stay the course on Windows 8.

As I mentioned, there has to be the "in your face" disruptive feature. I yet to see it in Windows8, or in Surface.

The killer feature is the keyboard, the ability to run Windows apps, the enterprise support (This is highly instrumental, this with Windows Phone 8 is going to eat Blackberry's Lunch), the familiar UI across 360, Phone, Tablet, PC . Etc.)

Apple's approach to unifying their platforms I think is much more pigheaded.

Dont think that absolute there. They just need to offer alternates to Windows (like Android) and Microsoft loses like they lost never before. Remember that Microsoft is, err WAS, the only preinstalled OS without any serious alternate for a decade. That is going to end. Good for customers cause they got a choice. Good for partners cause they have alternates and are not any longer bound to Microsoft only but very bad for Microsoft which is losing its monopoly.